Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Thank You Card using AALL & Create's Letter Soup Dies

This week's challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog is "thank you."  I made a card using one of my favorite alphabet die sets from AALL & Create.

I started by cutting the letters out of a piece of kraft cardstock.  I added white paint and when that was dry, I smeared a layer of orange paint on top of that.  I also did some dot stenciling, then glued a piece of turquoise cardstock to the back of the kraft cardstock to help the letters stand out.

I scribbled some elongated dots onto navy blue cardstock with an embossing pen, then embossed the white marks.  I cut that into an oval frame shape and glued that on.  I also took one of Tim Holtz's stamp sets and added "love you to the moon and back" at the top.  With clear stamps, it's pretty easy to bend the words into certain text shapes, so I bent the words into an arch-shape to match the oval frame.  I also did some sewing-machine stitching around the edges.

I added some other paint colors and scribbles, then glued the whole thing to a piece of ledger paper.  I stamped some small circles onto it using Wendy Vecchi's Open Dots stamp.  I cut around the edges of the card with Tim Holtz's Deckle Torn Edge Trimmer and flicked on some Hyper Neon Alcohol Ink to finish it off.

Here are the supplies I used that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

• AALL & Create's Letter Soup Dies
• Kraft Cardstock
• Dina Wakley: Dotted Tape Stencil
• Tim Holtz: Deckle Torn Edge Trimmer
• Embossing Pen
• White Embossing Powder
• Heat Tool
• Tim Holtz: THMM113 Stamp and Stencil Set
• Wendy Vecchi Open Dots Stamp
• Dina Wakley Paint
• Neon Alcohol Ink: Hyper

Share your thank-you-themed projects on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store.

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Happy Thoughts Tag using Kate Crane's KC015 Stamp Set

Welcome to another Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!  It's hard to believe we're into November now and that the holiday season is right around the corner.  Yipes!  I don't know how time always moves so fast in  November and December!

This week's challenge theme is "thinking of you".  I utilized Kate Crane's KC015 stamp set to make my tag.

I started by cutting the tag shape using Poppy Stamps' Scalloped Pinpoint Tags.  I've got to be honest, though - these dies were a surprise in that they cut the scalloped frame part out separately from the tag.  So when you run it through your die-cutting machine, you end up with a rectangular straight-edged tag and then a second cut-out of the scalloped frame that goes around it.  You can see in the image below how the scallop frame cuts out separately and you have to tape the middle of the tag shape back inside the frame if you want a tag with a scalloped edge.  Anyway, I painted and stamped the tag using Tim Holtz's Big Number Blocks stamps in the background.  It's a number 8, which I just thought looked like a nice shape to glue things onto.  I also used Lindy's Industrial Magicals powder to give the tag some watercolor effects.  While that dried, I stamped, cut and painted this character from Kate Crane's KC015 stamp set. I altered the character by swapping out the horn it comes with for a crown I made.  I also added polka dots to the top.  I stamped some plus signs onto the tag from that stamp set and I tore a scrap piece of cut-out numbers I had from a previous project.

I assembled the elements like so and wanted an arch of some sort.  I got out Seth Apter's ESA34 stamp set and stamped on the raspberry-colored archway onto the background.

I glued my character to the front of the tag and then stamped "happy thoughts" from Tim's THMM182 stamp set and cut it out.  I glued that on and this tag was done.

Here are the supplies I used that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

• Poppy Stamps Scalloped Pinpoint Tags Die Set
• Tim Holtz Big Number Blocks Stamp Set
• Kate Crane's KC015 Stamp Set
• Posca White Paint Pen
• Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
• Lindy's Stamp Gang Industrial Magicals Set
• Picked Raspberry Archival Ink
• Seth Apter's ESA34 Stamp Set
• Tim Holtz's THMM182 Stamp and Stencil Set

Share your "thinking of you" projects over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!

Simon Says Stamp: Masculine Card using Tim Holtz Products

Hello, hello and welcome to another Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.  This week's theme is "masculine" and we're featuring products by Tim Holtz.  I made this file card using several of my favorite Tim Holtz products.

I started by cutting the file folder shape from Tim Holtz's Specimen die set.  I stamped some circles onto the card using Tim's Halftone and Rings stamp set.  Next I used Tim's Stars stencil, deli paper, and some paint to make star patterned paper.

When all of the paint dried, I glued the star paper onto my card and added more paint.  I did another layer of stenciling using Tim's Gradient Dot stencil.

I wanted some other colors added into the mix, so I tore off some strips of AALL & Create washi tape and stuck that on, along with some of Tim's Cello Sticker Tape.  I made some orange scribbles with Distress Watercolor Pencils.  It was looking...not great.  As I've said before, each project (at least each of my projects) inevitably has an "ugly phase" and you just have to work through it and hope it pulls out of that phase by the end of the project.  This is definitely an ugly phase!

I tore a piece of kraft paper and painted it and scribbled on it, then got out an image from Tim's Photobooth pictures.  I folded and sanded the picture, then glued it to the kraft paper background and glued that onto my file card.  I added some more doodling and painting, then I stamped a sentiment onto deli paper that is from Tim's Theories stamp set.  I also found a scrap of polka dot fabric to use...somewhere.

I wanted to lighten the whole thing up a little, so I added more turquoise and some yellow and a touch more orange.  I glued the sentiment on and added some other scrap elements from previous projects.  I stamped some numbers from Tim's Sideshow stamp set and glued them to the top of the photo.  I sewed a fabric scrap to the top of the card and it was done!

Here are the supplies I used that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

• Tim Holtz Specimen Die Set
• Tim Holtz Halftone and Rings Stamp Set
• Tim Holtz Stars Stencil
• Tim Holtz Gradient Dots Stencil
• Tim Holtz Cello Sticker Tape
• Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Pencils: Set 2 and Set 5
• Tim Holtz Photobooth
• Tim Holtz Theories Stamp Set
• Tim Holtz Sideshow Stamp Set
• AALL & Create Washi Tape: Peony Pinks
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper

We're excited to see your masculine projects this week!  Upload them to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $25 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!